At the Pleasure of the President
by joanna77
Summary: There is a room in the WH called The Bunker. It's situated under the East Wing, or rather the East Wing is situated above it. When the WH goes into a lockdown in the middle of the night, Donna is called to the Bunker. Set in Year 3 of the Santosadmin.
1. Chapter 1

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

It was well after 12 pm, it was indeed closer to dawn than to midnight, but Donna was still sitting in her office. She looked out of the window, not seeing what was outside but what was inside her head. And she saw Josh. She missed him terribly and she didn't know when he would be back from his mission. President Santos met with UN representatives in Vienna last week but he had to come back, they were trying to win the elections after all. When he returned he asked Josh to go back to Vienna in his place.

The President and Josh usually didn't fly on the same plane and didn't attend the same overseas meetings. When Josh explained the why, Donna had to make a dash for the bathroom. Now, it all made sense why during President Bartlet's administration it was always Josh who accompanied the President and not Leo. Somehow, in the back of her mind, Donna knew that but they never discussed it before and for once she wished she had been left in oblivion.

When the President had to come back without an agreement he sent Josh as his delegate. Donna didn't understand why Josh needed to be there; after all they had a very capable Secretary of State not to speak of the US ambassador to the United Nations. But she didn't question President Santos' decision, it was his decision to make and he must have had his reasons and was under no obligation to share them with Donna.

So Donna was alone and she was exhausted. She barely slept in the last four days, since Josh went away. The President just arrived back from the latest campaign stop in Georgia. The First Lady continued her way to South Carolina to attend some event there. Donna didn't accompany her to Georgia and South Carolina but it was decided that she would meet her later in North Carolina. Donna was needed in D.C., there was a crucial vote scheduled on the Hill, and Donna stayed behind to phone and meet House Representatives in order to convince them to support the Children with Learning Disabilities Bill. A pet project of the First Lady. As she was sitting there in the dark, Donna wondered briefly where the last three years had gone but she knew that she was just overwhelmed by the loneliness. She had the best three years in her life. She had been excited about working for the First Lady and about being part of a new administration and most of all about being together with Josh. And she felt like her dreams came true. Of course, she knew that this kind of thoughts invited the moment when the wheels fell off the wagon. But she didn't like to think about that.

Musing over the last three years, she remembered how frustrated she had grown with her job in the first few months of the new administration. Helen Santos was not Abbey Bartlet; so much was clear from the first moment on. But Donna had hoped that once settled in, Mrs. Santos would take a more active role in the administration, after all she had hired a Chief of Staff and not a secretary or a social events coordinator. Annabeth had told her several times that Helen needed to adjust to the new situation but after the second month Donna was ready to quit and beg Josh for any kind of job he could offer. She had been so frustrated that she had yelled at Annabeth in one of their staff meetings. And for the first time in two months, Helen Santos had picked that moment to wander in on the meeting. Donna remembered how deeply ashamed she felt, and how she told Helen that she would tender her resignation first thing in the morning. She remembered the look on Helen's face, how taken aback she was and how she asked Donna why she would do that. Then and there, Donna had decided to take a stab at honesty and she had been rewarded with a smile and an apology. Donna remembered the mortification she felt after the First Lady's apology, but they quickly got over the awkward moment and found their former rapport soon.

Since then they had an active role in the administration. Donna clearly remembered her first meeting in official capacity. Of course she had meetings before but those were about ceremonial stuff and she usually went with Annabeth and left the working out the details part to the perky Press Secretary. Her first important meeting came four months after President Santos' Inauguration, and for some kind of twist of fate she had to meet with Amy. Of course she knew that they had to meet, Amy was Director of Legislative Affairs, but she would have preferred to go through Sam. Sam was Amy's boss after all.

She had been so nervous the night before the meeting with Amy that she almost literally kicked Josh out of _his_ apartment. He went without much complaining, and after calming down a bit Donna realized for the first time since Election Day that Josh really loved her. Oh, she hoped, and Josh told her several times, but she was so unsure about their relationship that she thought he might have said it just be polite, just to return Donna's confessions. She also realized that she had to express her gratitude properly. Which she did after the successful meeting with Amy. The memories were still fresh and still made her blush. Of course Amy was long history by now (and Donna only hoped that she could say that for the last time in almost a decade). But Donna prevailed and she was still pushing the agenda of the First Lady and she was still liaising with the Directors of Legislative Affairs. In fact, with several of them during the last three years. They just kept coming and going. It seemed to be like someone cursed the position; Donna often wondered whether Amy really was the Wicked Witch Helen claimed her to be.

So there she sat, thinking of Josh. She missed him to a point where it became hard to think of going home to the empty house. Donna knew that she eventually had to, if not for anything else but to change clothes. She didn't quite understand why she missed Josh so much; they had been apart for weeks before. Although those times she always knew when to expect him back. She guessed she was just exhausted. She was never the one to wallow in self-pity but for the first time in three years she just couldn't feel the strength to put on a mask, making everyone else believe that she was okay with Josh' absence. Oh, she accepted Josh' job like no one else would have. Every one of their friends had commented on that, expressing their admiration towards Donna. She didn't understand why it was such a big deal. She loved Josh. She knew what the job entailed. End of story.

Of course she knew the story of Leo's marriage, their friends never ceased to make the comparison. She just couldn't understand them. Josh was not Leo, and she wasn't Jenny O'Brien. She knew and was sure that Josh would make an effort not to commit the same mistakes as Leo, so she made an effort too, she tried not to be clingy or needy or anything like that. She let him know that she was there for him whenever he wanted an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on. And Josh accepted it with appreciation. They grew closer in these three years, they understood each other on a level they never did in the first nine years of their relationship. They were tuned to each other as Josh often claimed, much to the delight of Donna.

Yes, there were times, before they became a pair, when Donna was tuned to Josh, but Josh wasn't tuned to Donna. She always noticed his moods and appraised his needs, and truth be told he also had his moments when it came to Donna's moods and needs. Just not at the same level as Donna. But three years into the Santos administration they know what every movement, frown, expression, posture or gesture meant. In short, they were tuned to each other. So much so that they made Sam freak out when he witnessed one of their conversations in Josh' office. He told them that they were freaking him out in the past while the three of them worked in the West Wing of the Bartlet White House, but that by now they had reached new and uncharted levels of freakiness.

Donna turned around in her chair and faced the door, she thought she heard something. She always waited for him to appear, even when she knew that he wasn't in the White House. She (and her secretary) grew accustomed to Josh's sudden appearances. He showed up without notice but Donna didn't mind. She told Julie to let him in if she didn't have any visitors. They even developed a ritual. Josh appeared in the door, complaining how her office was bigger than his, and Donna would counter that by saying that it was so because she was a more important person than Josh. Josh would agree, saunter in and kiss her like he hadn't seen her in days. Which was sadly true on one or two occasions. Right now, she would have given everything for one of those kisses.

Suddenly her door flew open, and her Secret Service agent stormed in. Donna quickly registered that his gun was drawn and that he had a harried look on his face. Before he said anything, Donna jumped up, donned her jacket and was ready to leave. There must have been another security breach; they already had a lockdown around noon. She wondered briefly what happened before Steve told her that she had to leave immediately. She didn't know where they would take her, but when they headed downstairs she realized that she was on her way to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. Also known as The Bunker.

_TBC_

Reviews make my day, tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

She didn't know why they were bringing her there. She was confused. She didn't have a NSC card, therefore she wasn't allowed in there. She was ushered into the room and saw President Matthew Santos and White House Counsel Ainsley Hayes standing around. The President looked worn out, and Ainsley looked… hesitant. There was a long table in the middle of the room with a phone at one end and a pitcher on the other. Several TV sets on the walls loomed dark and silent, above their heads. There was a built-in cabinet with doors closed and finally the seal of the President just next to the door through which Donna entered.

"Donna, it's good to see you," Matt Santos said with a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I'm the bringer of bad news."

"Josh?" Donna asked anxiously.

"No, at least as far as I'm aware of he is safe and sound in Vienna. It's Sunday night, and except Ainsley and me you are the only one here," he informed her.

"Sir?" Donna asked back hesitantly. Surely there must have been others in the White House. The building was the workplace of some 1100 people, some of them assigned to do night duty.

"Oh, okay, there are security officers and Secret Service agents and two assistants in Communications to watch the news but nobody else. You remember the lockdown earlier this day?" President Santos asked her, and after Donna nodded he continued, "Everyone was happy to leave in the evening. The Deputy NSA is also in the building but–and here come the bad news–he is trapped in the Situation Room with the entire body of the Joint Chiefs and several Secret Service agents."

"Trapped? What does that mean? What happened? Where was the security breach?" Donna asked Santos.

"In the Situation Room," President Santos said.

"The Situation… The Situation Room?" Donna's voice faltered. The Situation Room was probably one of the safest places on the face of this globe. The idea of a security breach in the Situation Room was unimaginable and unbearable at the same time.

"Yes, apparently one of the Chairman's aides is wielding a gun down there," President Santos said with a nonchalance that made Donna nervous.

"Sir, what are you not telling me?" Donna asked him.

"Donna, the White House is in a lockdown, again. No one goes out, no one comes in. We have a secure phone line to the State Department, we have several TV sets and I think there is a chance that our videophone works but I have to admit, I don't know how" he said, gesturing towards the closed cabinet. "No one picked up so far. The only good news is that the Press Corps was escorted out of the building after the earlier lockdown and they are still accommodated over at the OEOB. The first breach originated near the press area, so they left happily. Doug went with them," the President explained, with his last sentence referring to the Deputy Press Secretary. "But the problem is, as I said earlier, that although I have a line outside, I can't reach anybody over at State. Apparently, they are in a lockdown too."

"Sir? Wouldn't the agents know if other government offices were in a lockdown?" Donna asked President Santos.

"Yeah, but they are experiencing range problems," President Santos said, looking over to his chief agent Ron Butterfield who nodded.

"What does that mean?" Donna asked, looking questioningly at Ron.

"Well, it means that their transmission is limited to the White House," President Santos answered.

"But surely there were some agents on the portico?" Donna asked Ron, and after the agent nodded she continued, "We could send one of them to State or to the OEOB. We need to establish contact to the outside world," Donna said, and didn't add 'to Josh'.

"Ron dispatched two of his agents, but so far none of them reported back," President Santos imparted, throwing Donna an unfathomable look.

"Could we get an update on the situation in the Sit Room?" Ainsley asked, joining their conversation for the first time.

"Ron?" President Santos turned to Ron.

"Well, sir, I just wanted to update you when Ms. Moss arrived. There is nothing but silence from the Sit Room," Ron said in his usual matter-of-fact voice. And while his news caused turmoil in her stomach, his tone calmed some of Donna's fears. But his next words had anything else than a calming effect.

"Silence?"

"Yes, sir. The agents there were transmitting up until a minute, and then I heard several shots fired and then everything went silent," Ron said, his voice impassionate.

Donna couldn't fathom how he could stay so composed after such disturbing news. But she knew that Ron's priority was President Santos' safety; she also knew that he couldn't have done anything short of embarking on a dangerous rescue mission, which in turn would have resulted in deserting his post and jeopardizing the safety of his charge.

"Could we try the State Department again?" Donna asked, looking down at the phone, trying to give off the same calming effect as Ron.

Nodding his consent, the President picked up the phone and dialed the extension to get Secretary of State Arnold Vinick's office.

"Maybe we should try the switchboard," Donna suggested. "I mean the Secretary is in Vienna with Josh, maybe his assistants are having the day off."

"Donna, if no one picks up the phone in the Secretary's office the call is redirected to one of his deputies and there is always a deputy on duty," Matt explained.

"Oh, okay then. What's next?" Donna asked, looking at the other three occupants of the Operations Center.

Matt sent her a smile and then turned to Ainsley.

"Ainsley, I need you to draft a document. I want to name Donna as my Special Advisor," Matt Santos said, and then looked over to Donna. "Are you ready to serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States, Donna?"

"Yes, sir," Donna said, nodding her agreement. These were extraordinary times, and there had to be extraordinary measures. The President needed someone to rely on, and she was the one he had to pick.

"Okay, Donna, while Ainsley is drafting your appointment, sit down with Ron, he will update you. You have your cell phone in that bag?" he asked then.

"Yes, sir. You think you can get a signal down here?" Donna asked him, wondering why she didn't remember her cell phone.

"Well, I certainly hope so," the President said, and Donna, after dialing Josh' number, handed him her phone.

"I wanted to call Helen," President Santos said.

"You might want to know what we are facing before scaring the living daylight out of her, sir" Donna said with a shrug of her shoulders

"Yeah, good thinking," President Santos said, flashing a smile at her.

Donna sat down and Ron took a seat next to her.

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

Josh looked out of the window, not even noticing the grandeur of the Vienna State Opera House. He wondered why he was sitting in a posh café when there was a perfectly situated Starbucks right across the Kärtnerstraße. And then his glance fell on his companion and remembered why. Yes, Arnold Vinick convinced him to taste Viennese coffee before they got home without the experience. Josh thought he would humor him. He also knew that this would be good enough to brag about to Donna later. The picture of her laugh upon hearing about his 'culture clash' with the natives warmed his heart immediately. So there he was, sitting across the Secretary of State who was enjoying his Wiener Melange while reading the International Herald Tribune.

Before wondering why he was sitting in the café house of the Hotel Sacher, Josh was thinking about Donna, and now his thoughts returned to her. He missed her. From time to time they were separated but they always knew when they would meet again. Not this time though. The suspense and the uncertainty didn't sit well with him. With the years he became more patient but the stress was on 'more', it was still hard for him to sit around and wait. And it seemed to him that they did that a lot while on this trip to Vienna. The Secretary told him to chill, but Josh just wanted to get done with the job and go home. He didn't like international politics, diplomats were even worse than Congressmen and Senators. He knew that President Santos needed him on this because of his history with the Palestine-situation but that didn't mean he had to like it.

He briefly wondered whether he should swap jobs with Sam; sometimes he felt that he had been a better Deputy Chief of Staff than Chief of Staff. Right now, he would have given anything to have Otto's job. Lou, Otto and Edie were on the campaign trail, and although Josh vowed never to plunge into another campaign with the same fervor he did the last time, he missed it. He missed the rhythm, the adrenalin, the drive. Instead of that, he was sitting across an old man, watching him drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. He chuckled silently; many would consider him an old man too. But he refused to think of himself in those terms. He was more mature and maybe more established but he didn't notice big differences compared to how he was ten years-twelve years ago.

The only big difference was Donna. But she was a good kind of difference. They were now tuned to each other, and it wasn't one-sided like back when she was his assistant. He knew that Donna had the slight advantage because of the natural sensibility of women, but his sensors were pretty fine tuned by now when it came to Donna's moods and needs. He looked around and noticed that there was an ad for a café shop in the same building. Maybe he should buy her something. He drank his Doppelmokka, recommendation of the Secretary for its extra strength, and stood up.

"Going to the café shop, Josh?" the Secretary looked over the rim of his glasses.

Josh flashed a grin at him, already knowing that the Secretary was freakish that way.

"Yeah, I thought I would surprise Donna with something," Josh said nonchalantly. He knew that the Secretary looked right through him; he caught him on the phone to Donna twice already. He knew how he liked to tease her and probably noticed how whipped he was.

"There is a chocolate powder sort of thing my wife always found heavenly," the Secretary said and when Josh cocked an eyebrow at him, he smirked. "Her words, not mine."

"Thank you for the tip, sir," Josh said with a smile. Once he got acquainted with the Secretary, he admitted he liked him. He was an honest man, not many of those run around the DC.

"Although you and Donna are big on coffee, right?" Vinick asked with a chuckle.

"Well, sir, it's a long story," Josh said with a grin.

"We have time," Vinick said, motioning to Josh to sit back.

"Okay, not so long," Josh said. "While she was my assistant she refused to bring me coffee. She did everything else for me, but from the first moment on she refused to fetch me coffee. Her words, not mine," he added with a brief grin.

"And that's why it's always a big thing when you bring her coffee?" Vinick asked.

"Yes. You see, I thought that once we were together she would bring me coffee, but boy was I wrong!" Josh said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Okay," Vinick said hesitantly.

"It's a family thing," Josh explained. "My mother used to bring my father coffee every morning, he would read the paper to her and they would talk about politics or theatre or about me over coffee."

"You have time to have breakfast together?" the Secretary asked perplexed.

"Usually," Josh admitted, briefly wondering why he wasn't embarrassed about discussing his family life with the Secretary of State. A Republican to top it off. 'And how comes that he knows about me bringing coffee for Donna?'

The Secretary returned to his newspaper, and Josh stood up once again to leave for the café shop.

"Maybe it's a marriage thing," Vinick said absent-mindedly. "My wife used to bring me coffee all the time."

Josh glared at him flabbergasted and then shook his head to clear his mind.

"It was a conscious decision. Should we still be together at the end of the first term, it would be enough proof that we are committed to make this work no matter what comes," he explained against his better judgment.

The Secretary looked up, cast a piercing look at Josh and then returned to his paper.

"You survived Rosslyn and Gaza, I wouldn't wait too long. Life is short," Vinick imparted the age-old wisdom.

"We are together," Josh defended their decision.

"She won't bring you coffee," the Secretary said, lowering his paper once again.

"What does that mean?" Josh asked back, a bit harsher than he intended to.

"Well, I'm not a shrink but that shows that she is insecure, and the fact that it hurts you shows that you are insecure too," Vinick said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Josh looked at him, once again dumbfounded by his remark.

"Josh, people like you act when trapped in a corner," Secretary Vinick continued. "Don't wait until something happens that forces you into it."

"Don't say that!" Josh exclaimed, drawing the Secret Service agents' attention to them. "Don't say that," he repeated then in a whisper.

"You are superstitious?" Vinick asked him incredulously.

"Every time I think that my life is back on track and voice the feeling, something happens that throws me off. I don't like taking chances," Josh explained.

"Well, I…" the Secretary wanted to say something but Josh's phone cut him off.

Josh looked down at the display and paled. He felt like someone dropped an ice cube down his back. He did the math in a second and then felt bile rising up in his throat. It was four in the morning in DC. He had to sit down again, his legs wobbling like those of a rickety old desk.

"You don't want to pick it up?" Secretary Vinick asked, sending a questioning look over the rim of his glasses.

"It's Donna," Josh whispered and then looked up. The Secretary's face was drained of blood.

"Pick it up, Josh," he urged, and Josh nodded. He tried to shake off the numb feeling that took over his body and lifted the Blackberry to his ear.

"Hi, honey," he greeted Donna, his voice shaky.

"It's nice to hear you too," he heard a familiar voice, just not the voice he was hoping for. "Now, don't say my name and get to the next secure phone, ASAP!"

"What's wrong?" Josh asked, his mind is still clouded with fear.

"Listen, she is okay, please get to the next secure phone and call me. We are in the room under her office," Matt Santos said, and Josh gulped. His stomach didn't like the thought of the President calling him on Donna's Blackberry. The reason behind that left him not only puzzled but incredible nervous. And that's when he heard her voice, shouting: "What?!"

"And she is okay?" Josh asked back, trying to focus.

"SHE is okay," President Santos reiterated, however this time the emphasis was on the pronoun.

"Okay," Josh said and hung up. His mind suddenly clear and focused, he gave the signal to their agents, and then turned to the Secretary. "We have to go to the embassy."

"What happened?" the Secretary asked concerned. "Who was on the phone?"

"POTUS," Josh whispered, his face still pale, his voice still shaky but there was an unmistakable determination in his eyes that mirrored his will to master the situation no matter what.

_TBC_

_So, tell me what you think so far, leave a review. :) _


	4. Chapter 4

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

On the way to the embassy Josh relayed his conversation with the president to the Secretary. Once finished, he drew back into the corner of the SUV and glanced out of the window. The city rushed by but he didn't pay attention. Okay, he heard Donna's voice, she sounded angry but otherwise okay. So Josh the boyfriend had to leave and Josh Lyman Chief of Staff to the President of the United States had to get back on top of the situation. Just when he replayed the conversation once again in his mind two beepers went off. His and the Secretary's.

"Report to the Embassy ASAP," Secretary Vinick read aloud. "Yeah, the boys at The Agency are a bit behind," he remarked with a bitter undertone and then looked over at Josh. "Josh, we need…"

"I know. Donna is okay, she is with the President. I'm not worried about her," Josh hurried to reassure him. "Okay, that's obviously a lie, I'm worried about her but I'm here, I'm focused. What the hell happened to the Situation Room? Why are they in the Bunker? Why didn't we get a warning before?" He got angrier every minute.

"Josh, we knew about the earlier lockdown, there were not so many people in the building," Secretary Vinick said. "And we knew that there was an incident in Kazakhstan. In fact, you told Nancy's deputy to have Sam in on the meeting because he was briefed."

"Oh my gosh! Sam!" Josh exclaimed. "He said SHE was okay. And they are in the Bunker," Josh pieced the puzzles together. "There was something in the Situation Room. The President was probably on his way down but Ron must have noticed something and rerouted him to the East Wing. I mean there was no nuclear accident or biological attack or something else that would have warranted a trip to the Bunker. And I think Donna was just briefed about the situation because I heard her shout: "What?"", Josh said and then glared at the Secretary. "Yeah, you know you can contradict me anytime you feel like it," he said after ending his little tirade.

"Nah, I think you are right on spot," Secretary Vinick said just as they turned into the Embassy's street. "Look, there is the Embassy, we should find out what the hell happened and then get back in the game. I hate being out of the loop, and the meetings with these knuckleheads they call diplomats bored me to tears."

They rolled into the Embassy through the underground garage and Josh wanted to exit the car.

"Hey, Maurice Green, you might want to wait for your detail to check out the perimeter," Secretary Vinick warned him and yanked him back.

"Sorry, no time for that," Josh said. "The President comes first."

"And what good are you to him if you are gunned down in a garage?" Vinick asked him with an arched eyebrow.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" Josh asked him incredulously.

"Of course not, there are Marines in this garage," Vinick said.

"Right now I don't know if that's a comforting thought," Josh mused aloud. "I mean it's the Situation Room. And there are Marines in there too. What if it's a coup de etat?"

"Josh, it's really hard to have a coup de etat in the United Sates," Vinick told him, after they were allowed out of the car.

"Yeah, and we still don't know why the President is sequestered in the Bunker with my girlfriend of all people. And they do have a phone. Why did he call me from my girlfriend's cell?" Josh asked Vinick. "It's written coup de etat all over it. And it seems that the boys dropped the ball. Again."

"Yeah, that's really getting a serious problem," Vinick agreed.

"We need a new director," Josh said looking at Vinick pointedly.

"We are friends but it's not like I'm blind, Josh, I can see that he is fumbling," Vinick said in a strained voice. "Let's not get into this right now."

"You are right; we have more important things to do," Josh agreed.

"That phone has a direct line to my office. I wonder why no one picked up," Vinick mused aloud.

"There are really some strange details that puzzle me about this situation," Josh said.

"And that's why you think it's a coup de etat," Vinick stated rather than asked.

"Exactly. Okay, could you get together with the CIA guy, and I'll try to reach them."

"Josh?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You have to tell him…"

"I know."

They both nodded and then got separated. Josh was led to the military attaché's office where they had a secure line waiting for him, and Arnold Vinick was greeted by the CIA's representative. Josh was grateful that he didn't have to deal with him, he didn't like the CIA, he didn't like the DCI and he had a certain dislike for spooks. Oh, he enjoyed spy movies just like every average person but he knew what they did and what they were capable of. He respected them and knew that they were essential but he didn't like them. So he was grateful that the Secretary took that meeting. Once he arrived at the attaché's room, he asked his agents to escort the attaché out of the room, citing security reasons. He dialed the White House switchboard and asked them to put him through to the Oval Office. Josh wondered briefly whether the switchboard operators were all in on the coup but he decided that it was really not the time to become paranoid. To his greatest surprise Ronna picked up the phone.

"Ronna! What are you doing there?" Josh asked angry and concerned at the same time.

"I initiated the lockdown, Josh," Ronna said coolly. "I was just stretching my legs when the President was rushed away by Ron, and I crashed the building. Secret Service evacuated the bullpen."

"And how come they didn't evacuate you?"

"I went into the Oval; I guess they forgot to check that."

"You mean you hid in the Oval," Josh said with a chuckle. "Listen to me, Ronna. Go to the next Secret Service agent and let them take care of you."

"I don't think I will, but thanks, Josh," Ronna said. "Now, is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah!" Josh shouted. "Get your ass out of the building STAT! Put me through to the Situation Room first. But then go! Ronna, I will know whether you left or not, don't make me fire you. This is a direct order from me and I'm your boss! Get out of there!"

"Keep your pants on, Josh," Ronna retorted. "Okay, I'll put you through and then I'll find a nice Secret Service agent."

"Good," Josh said and then waited. He didn't know what to expect but he had to try to reach the room.

"Yes?" Josh heard Nancy's deputy.

"Tom?"

"Josh? What can I do for you?" Tom asked him.

Josh knew that he didn't have the luxury to mull over the situation; he had to act right now. And he better made it believable. He knew that he can resort to half-lies, they were the best ones, even face-to-face they were hard to be identified as lies.

"I just heard that the President was delayed," Josh said.

"Yeah, we were wondering what takes him so long," Tom said.

"Yeah, he is talking to the Secretary, we have some kind of a situation here," Josh lied.

"Ah, I understand. I briefed Sam, do you want the rundown?" Tom asked nonchalantly.

"No, my brain can process only so much information. It has to be Sam this time," Josh said. "Can I talk to him?"

"Of course, hold on, he is on the other phone," Tom said, leaving Josh perplexed and relieved at the same time. And then he realized that he put Sam into a pretty dicey situation. Because if he was right there must be a gun pointed at Sam's temple right now; and knowing Sam, he wouldn't hesitate to put his life at risk when he thought that he could serve a greater good. The silence frayed his nerves but then the mute button was released.

"Josh?" came Sam's steady voice. "What's up buddy?" he asked, and Josh definitely knew that something was amiss. Sam never called him buddy in the workplace.

"We are good. The Secretary is on the phone with the President," Josh said, repeating what he already said and at the same time he hoped that it reassured Sam that the President was okay. "We have a situation here," he said.

"Ah, I see. Well, we have a situation here too," Sam said.

"I know the gist. Listen, Sam, I know that this is the first time you are down there but try not to piss off the brass, okay?" Josh asked him. "I need my deputy alive, and now that I'm not there I know they are looking for a new prey."

Josh hoped that Sam did get the message of staying calm and keeping himself alive.

"Okay, Josh, I promise," Sam said, and Josh sighed with relief. He did get the message. "I've gotta go."

Josh dialed the Oval Office again and Ronna picked up.

"Okay, I'm actually glad that you are still there," Josh said before Ronna could say anything.

"Goody," Ronna said sarcastically. "One of the agents from the portico was sent over to State, you might one to order him back."

"Okay, put an agent on the phone," Josh said.

The agent's voice was familiar and once Josh identified himself with his NSA code the agent sent another agent after the first one, explaining to Josh that they were experiencing range problems. Josh thanked him and asked him to put Ronna back.

"I need you to call the Situation Room," Josh said.

"Again?" Ronna asked back.

"Tell them that the President is still delayed," Josh said.

"Okay."

"And then get the hell outta Dodge!" Josh shouted again.

"Aye, sir!" Ronna said and Josh just saw her mock saluting him.

Josh then picked up his NSA card which contained a number. Realizing that the NSA might be knee-deep in this, he pondered how he could get hold of the number of the Bunker. Taking a chance, he dialed Nancy's cell. He trusted Nancy, besides she was the only one who didn't get snarky with Josh in the Situation Room. He had to trust someone, and the only people he really trusted were in the Situation Room and in the Bunker. So he had to pick someone else. Nancy was in Japan this week and since it was around six in the evening there it took a while until she picked up.

"MacNally," she barked.

"It's me," Josh said, hoping that she recognized his voice.

"What's up?" the National Security Advisor asked.

"Get to a secure phone and call me back at the Embassy," Josh explained to her.

He heard that Nancy disconnected and then pondered what to do while she got back to him. He tried to get the puzzles together, to get a clearer picture. Oh, he had a piece of the picture; he just didn't know how big the picture was. The phone rang two minutes later, and he picked up eagerly.

"Josh," Nancy acknowledged him.

"That was fast," Josh said.

"Yeah, I was at the Embassy already we are having a party here," Nancy told him and then Josh filled her in.

"Now, I need the number of the Bunker."

"They have a video phone and a normal one, which one would you like?" Nancy asked him.

"Both, actually," Josh told her.

"Listen, Josh, you have to tell him…"

"I know," Josh said and this time he clicked off.

_TBC_


	5. Chapter 5

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

Finally, Donna shifted in her seat, trying to shook off the shock Ron's debriefing caused. Sam was in the Situation Room. Her friend Sam. As if he hadn't had enough these past years. Another engagement fell through, his mother died and his father married his mistress. But Sam being Sam weathered these events with head held high and Donna could only admire him for that. And now, he was in the Situation Room where his life was in danger. She looked over to Ainsley and suddenly realized why her friend seemed to be on the verge of tears since she entered the PEOC. She knew how Ainsley felt about Sam and secretly rooted for them. She wished Fate wouldn't be so cruel and deny Sam another shot at happiness. She knew that Ainsley didn't tell Sam how she felt and she knew that Sam was still not comfortable with the thought of another relationship, but she also knew that they both needed this chance. She went over to Ainsley and hugged her tight, trying to reassure her with her mere presence. She knew the power of a hug, she just hoped that Ainsley would feel better after one. Her friend finally nodded slightly, and Donna let go of her. She looked over the room and noticed that there was a door at the far end, probably leading to another room. She figured that there must be also be a bathroom somewhere in the vicinity, after all they designed this room for the possibility of a nuclear attack. Yes, this facility could provide shelter for a long time.

"Did you reach Josh, sir?" she asked then the President, trying to clear her mind of her dark thoughts.

"Yeah, they should be at the Embassy by now," President Santos said. "Of course, he has to find out our number," he said, pointing at the phone in the middle of the large table.

"I see," Donna said. "What do we do in the meantime?"

"We wait?" Matt Santos asked back.

"I'm not able to sit around doing nothing," Donna said. "There has to be something we can do! May I have my cell back?"

"You want to call Josh?"

"No, sir, he doesn't need the distraction right now. I want to call Annabeth. If something gets out I don't want them to be ambushed by a bunch of reporters," Donna explained.

"Yeah, good thinking," Santos said.

"Also she could tell your wife that everything is okay," Donna said, dialing Annabeth's number.

"I don't think she will be satisfied unless she hears from me but it's better than nothing, I guess," Santos said. "Tell Annabeth to get one of Helen's agents, I want a read on my children as soon as possible."

"Hi, Annabeth!" she greeted the Press Secretary. "Listen, I know it's early, but there is a situation here in Washington. I can't really go into details, this being not a secure phone at all but we are okay. I mean the President and I are okay. Could you get hold of one of the First Lady's agents?"

"Yes," Donna heard Annabeth and she thanked the powers high atop the whatever that Annabeth wasn't the kind of woman who panicked easily.

"This is Raymond, Ms. Moss, what can I do for you?"

"I would like you to contact Zane and up the kids' security detail. We have a credible threat here. This isn't a secure phone, but I'll give you Ron, and he can tell you what to do," Donna said and handed her phone to Ron Butterfield. Ron gave some cryptic orders and then handed back the phone to Donna.

"What are we going to do?" Annabeth asked.

"You will do what the agents tell you, Annabeth. Also Josh. He might call you later with instructions, make sure that your phone is charged and take it with you even if you are going to the bathroom."

"Okay. Take care of yourself, Donna," Annabeth made her goodbyes then and hung up.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Donna asked, turning back to President Santos.

Ron lifted his hand to silence them for a moment. He pressed his hand to his ears, nodded and then turned to the three of them.

"Mr. Lyman ordered back the agents I sent over to the State Department," Ron imparted.

"Why did he do that?" Santos asked.

"He didn't want to make them aware of the situation," Donna guessed. "What takes him so long?"

"There are perhaps a handful of people who know the number of this phone. Josh is usually one of them, but the information is in a special kit which I'm sure is in his office right now," Matt Santos explained.

"I see. Okay, I think I should take a look at that videophone," Donna said, still not being ready to sit around and wait.

"Knock yourself out," President Santos said, and Donna saw him slump down into one of the chairs next to Ainsley.

Ainsley was entirely too quiet for her liking, but she knew that she would be the same if it were Josh trapped in the Situation Room.

She opened the cabinet's doors and took a look at the phone. There was nothing wrong with it, except there were some cables hanging loose from the display. Donna studied the cables, trying to figure out where to plug them in. That's when the phone on the table rang. She abandoned her post and hurried back, sitting down next to President Santos.

"Mr. President," Josh's voice came through.

"Josh, thank the Lord!" President Santos exclaimed. "Is everything alright at your end?"

"Yes, sir. Secretary Vinick is talking to the CIA guy and I just got off the phone with Nancy," Josh said. "What's up at your end, sir?"

"We are alright, Josh," President Santos told him. "Say something, Donna."

"Hi, Josh. We are okay. You should phone Annabeth later, I told her to await your call."

"Okay, I'll do that. Ron?" Josh inquired then.

"We were heading down to the Situation Room when one of my agents sent a distress signal. There was static and since then we are experiencing range limitations," Ron informed him.

"Yeah, I know about that. Sorry I had to call back your guys, but I don't want them to alert someone accidentally."

"It's okay, we just didn't know how to contact the outside world otherwise. No one picked up at State," Donna explained to him.

"I know. Ron, who else was in the Room?" Josh asked.

"Well, the Joint Chiefs and Mr. Slatterley, also the Vice President…" Ron wanted to continue but Josh interrupted him.

"That's what I was afraid of," he said, letting out a tired sigh.

"Josh, did you have any luck with finding out what's happening?" President Santos asked.

"Nancy's deputy picked up the phone. I told them that you are on your way; you just had to talk to the Secretary hence the delay. I'm afraid we are running out of time. I managed to talk to Sam so that's good news, but I fear that…"

"Josh, Ainsley is here," Donna interrupted him at that moment.

"Oh, gosh! I'm sorry, Ainsley! Listen, I reassured him that the President was okay and made him promise not to do anything foolish."

"Thanks, Josh," Ainsley said, quiet tears rolling down her face.

"Anyway, I'm sorry, this will be hard to hear but I don't think we have a whole lot of time," Josh said. "Sir, I'm afraid we have to face reality and I want you to put yourself in a mental state where you pull out the 25th."

"Josh, I'm perfectly capable of going about my business as the President of the United States," President Santos said.

"Sir, I didn't say to sign a document right now," Josh said, his voice tense. "I just want you to prepare yourself. I don't know how far this goes or who else is involved but if I can't reach you the next time I try, I have to seek out the next one in line."

"You think they will cap the line?" Matt Santos asked.

"Sir, the Secretary said it's hard to stage a coup de etat in the United States. I would think it's equally hard to hold the occupants of the Situation Room hostage, yet they managed to that. I wouldn't put anything past them. They want to reach their goal and they won't shy away from anything."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Okay, get back to us as soon as you know something, Donna is trying to assemble the videophone, so try that next time, please. And Josh," President Santos said, his voice becoming shaky a bit.

"I know, sir. I'll make sure they are safe," Josh promised and then hung up the phone.

Donna squeezed Ainsley's hand again, and then stood up to resume her previous activity. Ten minutes later, she let out a victorious shout and turned to the President proudly.

"Ron, that's another room, right?" she asked then when she took in the President's condition.

Ron only nodded.

"Okay, and I think it's safe to assume that there are beds there, right?" Donna asked the agent.

"Yes, ma'am," Ron said.

"Okay," Donna said, nodding. "Sir," she addressed the President then." Sir," she called again when the President didn't look up.

"What?" Matt Santos asked back.

"Sir, you should rest for an hour. I'll wake you when Josh calls," Donna said.

"Donna, there is a…"

"Sir, we need you to have a clear head. You had an all-nighter yesterday and today too. We need you to actually function when it comes to making a decision," Donna told him. "We need you to be able to concentrate. As your Special Advisor, I advise you to lie down and rest for an hour."

"But…" Matt Santos tried to protest, but Donna cut him off.

"Sir, please," she implored.

"Fine, but you come to wake me when Josh calls," the President agreed and voiced his condition.

"I promise, sir," Donna said with a nod.

They watched Ron's and Matt Santos' retreating backs and then Donna turned to Ainsley.

"Let's find something to eat," she suggested, making her friend smile a little bit.

_TBC_

_If you like the story, please leave a review. I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter. _


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Okay, this chapter might be a little higher than the original rating. It's about violence but nothing graphic. Anyways, you've been warned, proceed with caution!**_

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

Secretary Vinick stepped into the attaché's room, and Josh saw that he was the bearer of bad news. Great, more bad news, he thought. 

"The President pro tempore of the Senate was found dead in his home and they can't locate Lee," Arnold Vinick told Josh, looking a bit frazzled. Josh didn't remember he had ever seen the Secretary of State like that.

"Well, I was able to contact the President so you shouldn't be afraid of stepping up to the plate," Josh remarked with a coldness in his tone he didn't know where it came from. He had no reason not to trust the Secretary except that the Vice President was with almost hundred per cent certainty dead, and the person who would be usually next in the presidential line of succession was not a natural born citizen of the United States. The third person on that list was dead too so if something happened to the President or he had to invoke the 25th it would be Secretary of State Arnold Vinick who would take the oath. But then again, he really had no reason not to trust the Secretary. After all, he could have fought the results of the election but he didn't. He faithfully served at the pleasure of the president, just as he himself. No, Josh mused, he must trust the Secretary. Arnold Vinick was a good man, an honest man. Josh shook his head and decided to put his doubts aside.

"Josh?" Secretary Vinick asked back hesitantly.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to snark you," Josh apologized.

"I don't know what 'snark' means although I have an inkling that nothing positive. Apology accepted. Now, tell me why you just snarked me."

"The Vice President is in the Situation Room. I'm almost certain that he is dead, sir," Josh told him.

"Good Gracious!" the Secretary exclaimed. "And the puzzle comes together," he added then in a low voice. "What made you apologize?"

"You are an honest man, sir. I trust you, it was just a momentarily lapse of whatever," Josh explained.

"Thank you for your trust," the Secretary said. "Did you reach the Bunker?"

"Yeah, they are okay. Donna was assembling the videophone, the President was worried about his kids and Ainsley is drafting a letter in which he can invoke the 25th," Josh reported.

"The President is down there with Donna and Ainsley Hayes?" Secretary Vinick asked.

"Yeah, and no one else. Sam is in the Situation Room, too."

"I'm sorry, Josh," the Secretary said and Josh saw how genuinely sorry he was.

"Thank you, sir. I talked to him so there is hope. But I fear we don't have much time."

"What are our options?"

"Well, the doors will only open for a person who is authorized to step into the Situation Room, with us here that leaves the President," Josh said. "The ante-room has cameras so they would notice if a heavy armored team would gather outside to take back the Room. They would shoot everyone down there, and that's a possibility I'm not willing to entertain in my mind for a long-long time," Josh said. "Any other ideas?"

"I don't think we can negotiate, we have nothing to offer," Vinick shook his head. "We could always let them there, they don't have any food."

"Yeah, but I doubt the Secret Service will let the President leave the Bunker and resume his daily business unless the Mansion is safe. And it's not safe until the culprits are down there," Josh said.

"A circulus viciousus," Secretary Vinick remarked.

"Indeed, sir. Okay, I have to call Annabeth and the parents of Mrs. Santos," Josh said. "Then I have to get back to the President."

"Okay, leave Ms. Schott to me. What should I tell her?" Vinick asked.

"They shouldn't do anything for the time being, they can't cancel, I don't want to alert anyone unless absolutely necessary," Josh said.

"I wonder when it will be picked up," the Secretary said referring to the media.

Josh sighed and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He was tired and anxious and he felt powerless. He was the man you go to when you want to fix something but this time he was merely a puppet in the hands of those holding the Situation, and in a sense of meaning the President, hostage. He hated this feeling, he was never good to admit that he didn't have the power to make things okay again. And Donna being caught in the middle of all of this didn't help. He was worried about her. Not just about her physical safety but about her state of mind. She held a responsibility which left more experienced people feeling being a failure. He didn't want that for her. She lived through enough. Fate was a cruel companion to her life, she had to witness more than some soldiers did and she came out victorious. But Josh knew that her soul was forever scared because of those things. Because of Rosslyn and Gaza. They both had their fair share but Donna being the more sensible one of them felt the pressure twice or maybe tenfold than Josh. His heart was breaking for her when he imagined what she must be going through right now. He could imagine the things she was thinking and he knew that once it was over her nightmares will return. Maybe his too. He made a mental note to call Stanley when this was all over, they will both need a session with him.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment there. The White House is in a lockdown, the reporters are over at the OEOB. We still have a couple of hours before all hell breaks loose," Josh said and then picked up the phone.

He talked to Helen's dad and then to the head of Peter's detail. He learned that Donna's order to up the detail was followed through and fortunately the kids were spending time with their grandparents at Camp David, one the second safest places in the United States, and perhaps right now THE safest place in the US. While he talked to Agent Turner, he involuntarily listened to the Secretary's end of his conversation with Annabeth. Apparently Annabeth was okay with Josh's idea but had her own input. After he hung up the Secretary handed him his phone without a word.

"And how should I tell the First Lady that her husband is in danger? How should I tell her that she can't phone him or she can't contact him at all?" Josh heard Annabeth's tirade and let out a grin. The Secretary theatrically let out a tired sigh and then grinned back at Josh.

"Annabeth," Josh tried to interrupt the First Lady's Press Secretary.

"Josh?" Annabeth asked back hesitantly. "I was talking to Arnie," she said, making Josh smirk again.

"Well, now you are talking to me. Go and wake up the First Lady. I'll talk to her once she is up."

"Okay, we'll call you back," Annabeth said and then hung up.

"She is calling you Arnie?" Josh asked the Secretary with a wink.

"Well, I called her Annabeth once and ever since she calls me Arnie," the Secretary explained.

"I see," Josh said with another grin.

"There is nothing to see," Vinick told him in a warning undertone.

"Well, we'll see," Josh said and then his face sobered. "Okay, I'll try the videophone, I hope Donna was successful."

Josh dialed again and a few seconds later he was greeted with the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Donna was smiling at him from her seat at the table.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hello, Josh," Donna greeted him with another radiant smile. "Ainsley is gone to wake up the President."

"The President was sleeping?" Josh asked back incredulously.

"Josh," Donna started, her tone admonishing. "This is the second all-nighter for him in a row. I sent him to rest. I very much doubt he was sleeping but he needs his wits about him if there are decisions to make."

"Okay, okay," Josh said, holding his hands up, signaling that he was sorry. "I see your point. We called Annabeth; I'll talk to the First Lady in a few minutes."

"Josh?" he heard then the familiar booming voice.

"Mr. President," Josh greeted the leader of the free world.

"My kids?"

"They are okay, I've talked to Agent Turner. There was not much to do since Donna already upped their security. They are aware of the situation, they didn't experience anything out of order as of now" Josh reported.

"Yeah, that was one of the first things she did," President Santos told him. "Let me tell you this, Josh, Donna is a great asset."

"You don't have to tell me, sir," Josh answered with a grin. "And now, the bad news," he said, taking a deep breath. "The President pro tempore was found dead in his home."

"WHAT?" Santos shouted, clearly taken aback by the news.

"Sir, I think it's safe to say that there is a coup de etat taking place in the White House," Josh said.

"Hold on, there is an incoming call on the other phone," President Santos interrupted him, and Josh saw when Donna picked up the phone.

"I'll put you on speakerphone, okay?" he heard Donna saying and then saw that she pushed a button on the phone. "Okay, you can talk now, we hear you."

"I want the President here in the Situation Room, otherwise his advisors are dead," Josh heard Nancy's deputy and then saw Donna to bring up her hand to silence the President.

"What makes you think that the President would assist your little coup de etat?" Donna asked.

"Well, if he doesn't his wife and his kids will have to suffer the consequences of his mistake," Tom Roberts said.

"How do we know that once he is there you'll let the others go? There are witnesses, you have nothing to lose," Donna said.

"Just get him over here, and we'll talk about that later," Tom said.

"You don't really think that he is going there, do you?" Donna asked boldly.

"Want proof of how serious I am?" Tom asked her. "Who is it, Ms. Moss?"

"What do you mean?" Josh heard Donna asking.

"I mean who should be next?"

"Next?" Donna asked back.

"Of course, I had to eliminate the Vice President," Tom said. "So, who is next, Ms. Moss?"

"I thought you already killed your next victim, Tom," Donna retorted.

"Oh, your boyfriend is working fast, isn't he, Ms. Moss?" Tom asked.

"Well, he is a genius, you have no chance against him," Donna said proudly, making Josh's chest swell.

"Well, we'll see. So, who is next, Ms. Moss? The Chairman? Or Mr. Slatterley? Maybe Mr. Seaborn?" Tom asked.

"You don't have to kill anybody else. The President could invoke the 25th."

"Ah, but you see, that's not permanent enough for me," Tom said.

"Well, I'm certainly not letting him go, get used to the idea," Donna said, and Josh cringed. He knew that Donna was right, he knew about the policy of not giving into threats but he feared for Sam's life. He didn't want anything to happen to his deputy, to his best friend.

"Okay then! Say goodbye to the good Chairman, Ms. Moss," Tom said and a shot rang through the room. It was followed by an eerily silence and the dial tone as Tom Roberts hung up on them.

_TBC _

**_Feedback is all I'm asking for. _**


	7. Chapter 7

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

Donna let out a sob but then shook her head to clear his mind and looked up at Josh. His face was seemingly unreadable but she knew what he must be thinking. She knew that the feeling of guilt was already edging his way into his thoughts. She knew that he would blame himself for sending Sam there, for not being there instead of his best friend. She knew that once this was over they would need help to deal with it. She made a mental note to call Stanley once this was over. She was also aware of the fact that the next couple of minutes will be crucial and while the men regained their composure she need to keep a level head. She can freak out later, there will be plenty of time for that. Now she just didn't have the luxury. 

"Josh," she called out to him.

"Yes?" he acknowledged her after several moments.

"I want you to go to the nearest wall and do your breathing exercise. Mr. Secretary?" Donna addressed Secretary Vinick then.

"Yes, Donna?"

"Is there… Can you think of something that might bring us forward? This stalemate is not good for my nerves."

"There is a contingency plan for a situation like this, but it's no use right now because only the President and Ron have access to the Situation Room. No one can enter the White House until there is a lockdown and Josh doesn't want to alert anyone to the situation. I concur. Plus they have cameras in the ante-room. If they saw Ron approach or any other agents with the intent to storm the Room they would kill the other hostages on the spot. Besides, Ron's first and foremost duty is to ensure the President's safety."

"I know," Donna sighed. "I just hate being powerless. Wait, can't they feed a recorded picture to the ante-room? Like they do in the movies?"

"Donna," Josh's strangled voice came with a chuckle.

"Okay, okay, they obviously can't," Donna stated, as she watched Ron shaking his head. "There must be something else to do."

"I could go there," President Santos said, his eyes still a dead giveaway of his state of mind.

"No, sir," came Secretary Vinick's, Josh's and Ron's voice at the same time.

Donna sensed the President's agitation and thought that only reason can deter him from charging down to the Situation Room. Throwing an apologetic glance at Ainsley, she spoke up:

"Sir, no matter what they say they'd kill everyone down there, even after they killed you. It's simply no use, sir."

"But Donna! They are held hostage and the only thing that can save them is me going there," President Santos argued, his eyes flaring up with anger.

"Forget what the millions of Americans would feel if another President of theirs was murdered; forget what your staff would feel!" Ainsley shouted. "Your family would be devastated, sir! And Donna is right. It's no use. Sam… and the others are at the perpetrators' mercy; God only knows what they were initially planning to do. I don't know why they did what they did but they must be ready to die for their convictions. It's a kamikaze sort of coup de etat," Ainsley said. "They are ready to sacrifice their lives in order to remove you from power, they won't stop at mere pawns in the game," she said in a whisper. "It's simply no use," she added, sounding defeated.

Donna crossed the room to get to her before she fainted. Ron leapt up to help her to hold up Ainsley, and together they carried her to the adjoining room.

"It's probably for the best," Ron said, surprising Donna with his insight.

"Yeah," she agreed, and after removing Ainsley's shoes she followed Ron out of the room. The President was talking to Secretary Vinick.

"If I resigned you'd be the President. I think that's the best possible way to act," Matt Santos said. "Then I could walk up to the Situation Room and open the doors. I could carry a weapon; it's not like I don't know how to use it."

"Sir…" Josh said.

"Josh, there are men and women there who have families just like me. They have a better chance when I take action. So I will. I'm responsible for them," he added in a whisper, and Donna knew that he already made up his mind. To tell the truth, Donna didn't expect anything less from him. He was a man who saw his responsibilities not as a burden but as sacrosanct, as something he would never neglect. Donna admired him for that. She found that quality in men remarkable; she knew only a handful who behaved the same way. Josh was, of course, pretty much the epitome of those men.

"You are trying to pull a Harrison Ford on me?" Josh asked back incredulously.

"We are not on board of Air Force One. And I wouldn't be President anymore," Matt Santos said. "Take care of Josh, Arnie. He is the man I trust the most," Matt said, making Donna's eyes misty with the beginnings with tears. "Donna, as my Special Advisor, what do you think?"

"The resigning part… I can get behind that, sir," Donna said. "The heroics part is between you and Helen."

"Right, I have to talk to her," Matt said, and as if on cue Donna's cell rang.

"It's Annabeth," Donna said, looking down at the display.

"More likely the First Lady," Josh said with a sigh. "I told Annabeth that Mrs. Santos should call me, but I guess you really are the more powerful Chief of Staff," he added in reference to their usual joke about the size of their offices. "Listen, Donna," he addressed her when he saw that the President was already talking to his wife. "Before he goes off, call me back. I'll talk to Nancy and we'll try to come up with another plan."

"He'll sign the document, Josh," Donna warned him.

"I know, and I can get behind that," Josh echoed her earlier words, "but I don't want him to go there and get into harm's way. Please, call me before he does anything like that."

"Okay. Should we fax the resignation over?"

"No, the faxes are not encrypted," Josh said. "Just hang onto the document, Donna."

"Okay. Are you coming home?"

"I'm sending the Secretary home," Josh said with a sigh. "I'm not giving up this videophone unless there is a resolution to the situation."

"Okay. See you later," Donna said and the display became blank once again. She desperately wanted to tell him that she loved him but she didn't want to do it with the Secretary and the President as witnesses. Not that she was ashamed of it; it was just an intimate thing she didn't plan to share with anyone. And she was sure that Josh knew.

She sat down to read through the document Ainsley prepared. It was three lines, a simple letter of resignation invoking the 25th Amendment. Donna saw President Bartlet's resignation letter in the Smithsonian a month ago, it was that simple too. It took her by surprise then because it was a document of momentousness, and had more weight than laws. And yet its physical properties were nothing in comparison to the several pounds of the Federal Budget, it was merely a single sheet of paper with three lines. She was done with the reading and then realized that someone had to countersign the letter. And for that there has to be an addressee. She knew that Nixon sent his letter to Kissinger but since they couldn't fax it she had to be the one.

"Helen, I have to do this," Donna heard then the President and she could just picture Helen Santos pacing the room in her hotel.

"Yes, I know. Yes, I'm thinking about our kids!" She heard the President raising his voice. "I'm thinking about how I could look into their eyes if I wouldn't be ready to do it. I'm responsible for those men and women in there, Helen."

"Yes, I'm bringing Ron with me," she heard him promise. "Yes, Helen, the children are completely safe in Camp David. Listen, I just…"

"Helen, let me say this," he apparently pleaded with her, but Donna understood why Helen didn't want to hear those words. They actually meant they would admit that he could lose his life in the endeavor.

"Okay, then I won't say it but you know what I meant to say. I love you."

"Thanks. I'm signing the letter now and then Ron and I will have a strategy session, maybe we are taking some more agents with us," Matt Santos said.

"Okay, I'll try to be careful. I have to go."

"Well, that went better than expected," he finally said. "Okay, I'm ready if you are ready, Chicken Fighter."

"You are resorting to my old nickname in these times?" Donna asked him taken aback.

"I just wanted to show you my appreciation," the President said. "Donna, it was a pleasure to…"

"Don't say that!" Donna warned him. "You'll jinx it. You and I'll have dinner tomorrow with Helen and Josh. Maybe I can convince Helen to invite Annabeth and the Secretary. And Sam and Ainsley. Definitely Sam and Ainsley," Donna said, noticing that she was rambling but actually didn't mind. "There will be two Republicans at the table so you can't talk shop all the time."

"They both work for me," Santos said with a chuckle. "And you just sound like Helen. You'll take care of them for me?" He sobered when he asked that.

"Of course, sir. You know that. Both me and Josh," Donna promised.

"Good, let me sign the letter," President Santos said.

"You have to change the addressee. Someone has to countersign it and it can be only me," Donna said.

"Why not Ainsley?" President Santos asked.

"She is unconscious at the moment, sir," Donna said. "It has to be me."

"Okay then, let me copy the letter and then I'll sign it and you'll countersign it. I'm sorry you are forced to do this, Donna," President Santos said while he pulled paper and pen closer.

"Don't worry about me, sir. It's just putting my signature next to yours," Donna said, but the sadness in your voice betrayed her feelings.

_TBC_

****

* * *

**_A/N: I think there will be three or four more chapters and then I'm done. Thanks for the wonderful feedback so far, keep it coming, it's better than breakfast. :) _**


	8. Chapter 8

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

Josh called Nancy McNally at the Japanese embassy again. After briefing her about the situation she told him that there is nothing else they could do. Josh hung up, feeling drained of all the energy. Matt Santos was not only the President of the United States for him, he saw not only the politician who held the highest office in his country but also the man, the husband of Helen and the father of Miranda and Peter. He saw the man who offered him his friendship. 

He knew that it was thanks to Donna and the friendship she formed with the First Lady but he was thankful nonetheless, the President and he were a better team because of it. They still had the occasional clash of opinions, and Josh was still hurt when President Santos didn't take his advice but he learned to live with it. Like he always said during the campaign Matthew Santos was his own man, and Josh knew that he wouldn't admire the President half as much if he weren't. His cell phone rang and he saw that it was Annabeth. Or more likely Helen.

"Good morning, ma'am," Josh greeted her before she could say anything.

"Morning, Josh," Helen said, and Josh heard the slight smile in her voice.

"What can I do for you?" Josh asked her although he had a pretty good idea what she was going to ask of him.

"You have to talk him out of it, Josh," Helen said.

"He already made up his mind. And it's not that I didn't try," Josh said with a tired sigh.

"You tried?" Helen asked.

"Ma'am, he is not only my boss," Josh said. "But you know him better than I," he added. "He will do this; he thinks it's his duty."

"I know," Helen said with a sigh. "Are you coming home?"

"Not for the time being," Josh said. "I'm their only secure link to the outside."

"I see," Helen said. "Okay, Josh, see you soon."

"Sam is down there," Josh said then instead of saying his goodbye. His disclosure was met with silence.

"I'm so sorry, Josh. I'll pray for him too," Helen said.

"Thank you, ma'am," Josh said, and then Helen hung up on him.

The videophone's display flickered to life, announcing an incoming call. He pushed the button and Donna's face appeared on the screen. She looked so sad; his heart was breaking for her. She long confessed to him that despite being on Russell's campaign she felt admiration towards Matt Santos. And after they won the White House she became his fiercest supporter. She wasn't blind to the man's faults but she forgave him his mistakes sooner than everyone else in the country. Besides, they always had an odd connection. Josh never really knew how it came to that but Donna and the President seemed to have a rapport, an ease with which they treated each other. And now she was sad because of the loss. She mourned for the whole country since the country didn't know what they lost in the last couple of minutes.

"Did you talk to Nancy?" his wife asked him, her voice subdued.

"Yeah, we couldn't come up with anything. It's done?" Josh asked him.

"Yeah, I countersigned it," Donna said, and Josh knew that she was on the verge of tears. "Is the Secretary airborne?"

"He said he would call me once he got to the airbase."

"Okay," Donna said. "They are leaving in five minutes; do you want to talk to him?"

"No, I don't want to disturb his concentration," Josh said. "Leave the line open, I want to know everything you know."

"Okay," Donna said, and Josh saw that she stood up to approach Matthew Santos.

"Sir," he heard her addressing the former President of the United States.

"It's Matt, Donna," Santos corrected her with a smile. "I don't think I've ever heard you say my name."

"Yes, sir," Donna said with a chuckle. "Not likely to happen now either."

"Okay. Any good advice from my Special Advisor?" Matt asked her and Josh heard the gentleness in his voice. He was extremely grateful that the President was trying to make things easier for Donna; he was truly worried about her. And then Donna surprised them both when she shook her head, stepped one step closer and hugged Matt.

"Good luck, sir," she said and then wanted to let go, but Matt squeezed her to him and sighed.

"Take care of Josh, Chicken Fighter," he said in a whisper, barely audible for Josh, and then he was gone.

"You have another agent outside?" Josh asked her when it was only him and Donna.

"Yeah, Steve," Donna said. "The others went with the President and Ron."

"He is in contact with them?" Josh asked.

"I guess so," Donna said and then opened the door. Josh lost sight of her, but then she came back, shaking her head. "He can't leave his post but he said he would tell me if he heard anything."

"Good. Donna?"

"Yeah?" Donna asked him absent-mindedly.

"I know this is probably not the best possible moment for this but I have to tell you something," Josh said, suddenly feeling the urgency to voice the thoughts he had on his mind ever since his talk with Secretary Vinick earlier.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, looking up from her seat at the table.

"I just wanted to tell you that once this is over we have to talk about something important. Once I'm home, I mean," Josh said.

"Okay. What about?"

"Our future," Josh said, aiming for nonchalance and failing miserably.

"Our… future?" Donna asked. "Will this talk leave me in tears?"

"Donna!" Josh exclaimed indignantly. "I love you, you know that. You have to know that."

"I know that," Donna reassured him.

"Okay, there might be tears," Josh said, and one look on Donna's face made his heart clench. He hurried to add, "Happy tears, Donna."

"Oh, okay then," Donna said with a smile. "I can get behind happy tears."

"I would never deliberately hurt you. You know that, right?" Josh asked, suddenly feeling insecure. Would Donna marry him? Okay, they talked about the possibility but they also said they don't want to do it until after re-election. But Josh didn't want to wait until that. Re-election was more than a year away.

"Josh, what's this sudden insecurity?" Donna asked, proving once again that she was tuned to him. "Of course I know that you love me, you tell me everyday, if not with words then with deeds. And of course I know you'd never deliberately hurt me. That was clear from the first moment on. What's this all about?"

"Remember what we planned to do after re-election?" Josh asked her and he saw that he might have rendered her speechless. "Donna?" he cued her.

And then, even through the ether he felt a sudden change in her attitude. He only hoped that it was a good sign.

"I want to talk about that thing," Josh said when he still didn't get any response from her.

"And you said there might be happy tears?" Donna asked.

"Yeah," Josh whispered.

"Okay then, we'll talk about it once you are back," Donna said, her voice stronger and lighter.

"Ms. Moss," Josh heard then Steve's voice. "They are at the Situation Room, ma'am."

_TBC_


	9. Chapter 9

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

Donna sat still after Steve's last message. She looked up at the dark display of the videophone; Josh was gone. He was on his way to the airport. The knowledge should have had a soothing effect on Donna's nerves but the windmills in her mind were still turning. She was in 'spinning-mode' and with Ainsley gone she had no one else to use as a sounding board. She was mulling over scenarios, coming up with one worse than the other. Then she looked down at the document in the folder in front of her. That was the source of everything that can go bad in the next couple of days. But she couldn't just go and destroy it, could she? She shook her head and returned to her previous thoughts. She had to do this the only way that was conducive, by using logic.

The number one option was, of course, to go with the absolute truth. Tell everyone what happened and then let the events unfold. The only problem with that was that it would set a really bad precedence. Lunatics around the world shouldn't be given more ideas than they already had. What if they wanted to penetrate the government? Donna knew that that was no longer a novel-like scenario. They could have their agents among the Secret Service and the Armed Forces. Or even among the White House employees. People who could get in touch with the President every day. Donna sat there, contemplating those ideas and frightening herself to a point where she was almost numb from fear.

A good ten minutes later, she shook herself, chasing the numbness away. Of course, they could downplay the events a bit. Tell that Nancy's deputy was acting on his own and that he was mentally unstable. No one noticed that? Happens all the time in the military. Sure, the Armed Forces would look bad but at least that would give them the incentive to be more thorough when it came who was allowed to meet the President of the United States. The only problem with this scenario was that Donna didn't know who else was involved. The Chairman's aide was dead, Nancy's deputy was dead and their accomplices in the Situation Room were dead too. So it wasn't like they could give them the names of who conspired to kill the President. Of course, whoever was involved could not come forward and tell them that they were lying.

She knew that she really should come up with something because as soon as word gets out that the President was transported to GW the press would demand an explanation. And of course there was the fact that the President signed that document and at this moment Arnold Vinick was Acting President, although Donna wasn't sure if he really was because he never took the oath of office. He was still on his way to the United States on board of a military flight. Just as Josh. And then a sudden tranquility filled her. She gazed down at the table, picked up the paper in front of her and tore it into pieces. She allowed herself a little smile and then slumped back in her seat. She knew that the job was only half done.

Donna couldn't imagine the flurry of activity outside the Bunker and she had next to no inclination to find out. She was just tired and felt the helplessness that she kept at bay ever since she was brought down there. She wanted to talk to Josh, but knew that they couldn't because there wasn't a secure line anymore. But who else could help her to find out what they should say?

"Donna?" She heard the familiar voice and when she looked up she saw him. She wanted to tell him something, anything but she couldn't find the words.

"Sir?" was all she was able to say.

"Yeah. I thought you were already gone and…"

"Are you alright, sir?" Donna asked then.

"I am," he told her.

"But, sir, Ron told Steve that they were en route to GW."

"Yeah, they wanted to take me there but it's practically nothing, Donna. The bullet just grazed the sleeve of my suit," he said.

"But, sir, your suit is covered with blood," Donna said, trying to choke back the tears.

"Sam's," he said simply.

"Is he… Is he…" Donna couldn't utter the words.

"He was alive when they transported him to the hospital," Matt Santos said.

"What happened?" Donna asked, she already knew the gist but she wanted to hear it from him.

"Bullets were flying, Donna, that's what happened," he said a bit irritated, and Donna made a mental note to remind Josh to call Stanley. "Anyway, the two perpetrators are dead, as are three Secret Service agents and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs."

"I know, sir," Donna said in a whisper. She reached out reflexively to squeeze his arm but then stopped her hand in mid-motion. This was the leader of the free world; she couldn't just touch him whenever she wanted, no matter that she only wanted to soothe his nerves.

"Donna, come upstairs to the Residence and…"

"We have to figure out what we are going to say to the public," Donna interrupted him.

"Donna… You need rest and so do I," the President said.

"Sir, this is important," Donna said. "We have a short period of time, a window until everyone is going to figure out that something happened. We need to be ready to tell them our version of the events."

"We tell them the truth," Santos said.

"Yes, that's what I thought first, sir. But it sets a bad precedence and it involves matters of national security. We can't let them know that you were forced to resign because we had no other options," Donna said.

"What's that?" Matt Santos asked then, pointing at the torn pieces of paper.

"Don't worry, that was only my appointment. Which you forgot to sign," Donna said with a smile.

"But Donna, that makes the other document basically a joke," Matt Santos said.

"I know," Donna said with a slight smile. "I just couldn't destroy it because it has your signature on it."

"Yeah, that's something we have to talk about with Josh and Arnie," Santos said. "Grab the folder and the pieces too and come upstairs."

"Alright, sir."

They were escorted to the Residence, and Donna was set up in a guest bedroom. She never let go of the blue folder in her hand. She wanted to mull over their options but seeing the bed, she had no other wish but to sleep for a long time and forget everything that happened. She saw that the sun was already rising and thought that she should probably get rid of her suit pants but then again, the bed was too inviting.

"Donatella," she heard the voice as if it came from the bottom of a well and she desperately fought the web of dreams she was caught in.

"Donatella," the voice called again, stronger, more urgent.

"Donna, it's only a dream. Wake up, honey."

"Jossssh?" she slurred.

"Yes," came the simple answer.

Donna tried to sit up but her head didn't want to cooperate. She had a mind-splitting headache and a sudden bout of nausea overcame her. She swallowed and then tried to sit up again.

"Hey, are you okay?" Josh asked her.

"Headache," Donna said.

"I thought so," Josh said and gave her a glass of water accompanied by two pills.

"What's that?" Donna asked.

"Advil," he said.

Donna took it and then drank the water. Her head was still throbbing but her mind was clear.

"I slept ten hours?" she asked then with a shriek.

"Yeah, and I have a hell of a jet leg," Josh said.

"What happens right now?" Donna asked her. "How is Sam?"

"Sam's in surgery," Josh said.

"Still?" Donna asked, choking back the tears. "Who is with Ainsley?"

"Ainsley is here. I sent Annabeth and Ronna there, they are updating us," Josh said.

"We have to call Stanley," Donna blurted then out.

"Yeah, I know," Josh said. "Listen, Donna, do you think you are up to a round of 'what-ifs?'"

"Yeah. Is the Secretary here?"

"Yeah, that's what we have to talk about. Bring the folder," Josh told her.

"Okay," Donna said and climbed out of bed. "Josh?"

"Yeah?" he asked her absent-mindedly.

"Could you give me a hug before we go outside?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Josh crossed the room and took her in his arms. She allowed herself one sob but then extricated herself from his arms.

"We have to figure out what to tell the public," Donna said.

Josh nodded and guided her into the President's private study. Donna was taken aback by the sight. There were at least thirty men (and two women) in the room. They were sitting on various chairs, talking in hushed voices.

"Donna," Matthew Santos greeted her.

"Sir," Donna returned the greeting, unsure of his title.

"Donna," Arnold Vinick acknowledged her too.

"Good afternoon, sir. How was your flight?" Donna asked, trying to mask her insecurity with the small talk.

"Excruciatingly long," Vinick said with a chuckle. That seemed to have broken the ice. Donna felt a surge of gratitude towards the Secretary and gave him a shaky smile.

Every conversation broke and all eyes were trained on Donna. It was a bit unnerving but Donna glared back at the assembled members of her country's military, daring them to call her on her actions.

"Ms. Moss," the Chairman's Deputy (and probably the new Chairman, Donna thought) spoke up.

"Yes, sir?" Donna turned to him.

"Why did you destroy that paper?"

"It was just a paper, sir. No document, just a paper with words on it." Donna knew that she was rambling. "There was no signature on it."

"Are you sure?" General Tremayne asked.

Donna opened her folder and pulled out eight pieces of paper. She crossed the room to the President's desk and put down the pieces. She smiled up at Matt Santos and then quickly rearranged the pieces as if they were parts of a puzzle. She looked at the Chairman's Deputy, silently calling him over.

"Good, there is no signature," General Tremayne confirmed.

"Which makes the other document a joke since it's addressed to Donna as the Special Advisor to the President of the United States," Ainsley said, stepping forward, finally giving Donna the chance to take a better look at her. Her eyes were blood-shot and incredibly sad but there was also a glimmer of hope as she looked into Donna's eyes. And there it was, the ultimate proof Donna ever needed to hear. If Ainsley was willing to go with this then surely everyone else could go with it. After all, this was a matter of national security. And Ainsley was the most honest and upright woman she had ever known. If she said it was alright then it was alright.

"This means that I don't have to take the oath," Arnold Vinick stated rather than asked. Ainsley nodded nonetheless. "Terrific. I really like being Secretary of State, knucklehead diplomats are better than knucklehead Congresspersons," he added, eliciting a chuckle from Santos and Josh.

"Now that it is said and done, we still need to come up with a credible story," Josh said, taking the initiative.

"We…" Donna started but then looked at Josh, unsure whether she should talk.

"Go ahead," Josh encouraged her.

"We can't just tell them that there was a coup de etat in the country, that would destabilize the economy and our position on the world stage of politics," Donna said and everybody except the President nodded. "I think we should tell people that there was only one person who was mentally unstable."

"Whoever was behind this will know that we are lying," General Tremayne said.

"Yeah, but they can't come forward and accuse us of that," Nancy McNally said, and Donna shot her an appreciative look.

"That's true," Secretary Vinick said. "That would explain the lockdown, the victims and the injuries. Also why we flew home from Vienna and why Mrs. Santos's campaigning was interrupted."

"I don't want to downplay the events," President Santos spoke up. "I don't want to downplay the deaths of those agents who helped me to storm the Situation Room. I don't want to downplay Sam's injuries," he said, turning to Ainsley.

"Sir," Donna said imploringly, but the President shook his head. "Sir," Donna said again, and Santos finally looked at her. "The agents knew what their job entails. Just like the Chairman."

"And Sam would be the first one to agree to this plan," Ainsley piped up.

"I know," Santos said with a sigh. "But still…"

"Sir, those deaths and Sam's injuries are a result of a senseless act of violence. It doesn't matter why it happened, it happened. It was senseless nonetheless. We have to think about the living too, sir. The American people," Donna told him.

"Alright," Santos agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Josh, brief Lester about what to tell the press. I'll join him at the podium after his briefing."

"Are you sure that's wise, sir?"

"If we want to downplay it I can't give an address but I have to appear so that they know that business is as usual. I'll do an address later, probably after the funerals," the President said.

"Yes, sir."

"Josh, tell your Press Secretary that every question about the mental state of Tom Roberts should be directed at my office," Nancy McNally said.

"And every question about the mental health of the occupants of the Situation Room at my office," General Tremayne added. "I guess we'll have to undergo a thorough psychiatric examination to put the public at ease."

"Yes, sir," Josh said. "Donna?" he asked her, asking for her permission to leave. Donna knew that he didn't want to, and neither did she, but she also knew that he had to.

"Go," she told him, slightly indicating with a movement of her head towards Ainsley that she wanted to stay with her anyway. Josh nodded in agreement and then left the room. The others filed out too, leaving Secretary Vinick, Nancy McNally, Ainsley, Donna and the President.

"Donna, I want you to know that I'm grateful for what you did this morning," Secretary Vinick said.

"Sir, I just tore…" Donna wanted to say but the Secretary interrupted her with a shake of his head.

"I meant the advising the President part," Vinick said, gently squeezing her upper arm.

"Thank you, sir. And I want you to know that I'm grateful that you kept Josh sane," Donna said.

"He was okay," Vinick said with a wink. "He was just worried about you."

"I was in the Bunker," Donna said.

"About your mental health, Donna. It was a lot of pressure," the Secretary said. "And you passed the test with flying colors."

"Thank you, sir," Donna said, slightly blushing.

"I have to go. There is still something to investigate in my department," the Secretary said and left the room.

"We still don't know why nobody picked up at State?" Donna asked the President.

"They are still investigating and since they have to be stealthy about it it's a possibility that we'll never know," Nancy said. "I just wanted to tell you the same, Donna. Thank you for keeping your head in the game and thank you for being there," she said and then left the room too.

"I didn't do anything extraordinary," Donna told the President.

"You did, Donna. Being President of the United States is a tremendous responsibility to bear. There are always others to rely on; there is always someone to share the burden with. I know that the decisions are ultimately mine and I have to live with them, but I find comfort in sharing my thoughts and ideas with someone. And this morning you were there for me, and I'll never forget that," President Santos said.

"Thank you, sir," Donna said.

"No, Donna, thank you," the President said, rounded the desk and hugged Donna briefly. "Ron, could you have someone drive the two ladies to the hospital?"

"Of course, sir," Ron Butterfield said, calling in an agent who escorted Ainsley and Donna to the SUV that was obviously already waiting for them.

TBC

_A/N: There will be an epilogue and then I'm done. Feedback is-as always-appreciated. _


	10. Chapter 10

**At the Pleasure of the President**

* * *

Matthew Santos indulged his wife's fussing over him when the agent in the room told them that Josh was on his way up. Helen's back stiffened for a minute before she straightened and relaxed again. He didn't know what that meant but he intended to find out once Josh was gone.

"You asked for me, sir?" Josh asked.

"Tell me some good news, Josh," Santos asked his Chief of Staff.

"Sam was transferred from the ICU; he is settled in his room. He is doing okay," Josh said. "Well, okay considering the fact that he spent twelve hours in surgery. Ma'am?"

"I didn't tell him yet, Josh. But I'm ready," Helen said, making Santos smile. He was afraid that Helen was somehow blaming Josh for the situation but was extremely relieved when he learned that she didn't. It was obviously their secret plan she was worried about, but of course it wasn't that secret since he knew all about it. Yeah, it had it's perks to be the President of the United States and the Secret Service worked for you.

"What did you not tell me?" He asked his wife, barely hiding his smile.

"We are going over to the hospital. We are having dinner together with Ainsley and Sam."

"Yeah?" Santos asked, stealing a glance at Ron who stepped into the room after Josh. The head of his detail nodded with a half-smile. "That's terrific, I was just on my way over to the hospital myself."

"What?" Helen and Josh asked simultaneously.

"Josh, your girlfriend promised me yesterday morning that I can have dinner with her tonight. With her, you, Helen, Sam and Ainsley," Matthew Santos said. "I invited Annabeth and Arnie too, since it was her wish."

"And you took upon yourself to fulfill this wish of hers?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, you know as a thank-you sort of thing," Santos said. "I know she wouldn't let me express my gratitude otherwise, it's the least I can do for her."

"That was my thought exactly," Helen said, leaning over and pasting a light kiss on his lips.

"Where is Donna, Ron?" Santos asked the Secret Service agent.

"She is in the East Wing, sir."

"Tell Steve to bring her to the limo," Santos said and then guided Helen and Josh out of the sitting room.

Helen and Josh were grilling Matt on the way to the hospital; they wanted to know how he got wind of their plan. Donna was just smiling as they threw out wilder and wilder ideas.

"It's really simple," Donna said finally, placing her hand on Josh's knee.

"You told him?" Josh asked her.

"She didn't tell me anything about your plans," Matt said.

"So how is it simple?"

"He is the President of the United States, Josh," Donna said, smiling at him.

"But Donna," Josh whined but that was the moment when Helen started to shriek.

"What's wrong, honey?" Matt asked worried, and saw that Ron turned around.

"Nothing," Helen hurried to reassure him, and he waved at Ron that everything was alright.

"Why did you shriek?" Matt pressed on.

"I just saw something," Helen said in a whisper.

"What? A spider? A bug?" Matt asked, smiling indulgently.

"No." Helen shook her head.

"Then what?"

"That," Helen said, pointing at Donna's hand on Josh's knee.

"Helen, it's not like we didn't know that they are together," Matt said, and was given a look he knew all too well. It said 'Could you be a bigger moron?' He cast another look at Donna's hand and then took in the pair's mischievous smiles and felt a smile appearing on his lips too.

"That's a nice ring, Josh," he said then while Helen took hold of Donna's hand to inspect the ring closer.

"Yes, sir," Josh said with that obnoxious smirk he knew well.

"So how did he do it?" Helen inquired after a round of congratulations.

"Well, it was really very romantic," Donna said. "I was in the Bunker, and he was in Vienna."

"Josh!" Helen shrieked, making Ron turning back to them again. Matt waved him off with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"I was just kidding, ma'am," Donna said, earning a glare from Helen. "He told me that morning that he wanted to revisit the topic and I agreed. Then after I came back from the hospital and he came home from the White House we sat down, and he gave me a green card."

"A green card?" Helen asked confused.

"An NSA card, right?" the President asked.

"Yes, sir," Josh said. "I told them that I'm going to marry Donna and Nancy gave me the card, telling me that they knew this moment would come."

"What's an NSA card, Matt?" Helen asked.

"A card that tells you what to do in case of a nuclear emergency," Matt said solemnly. "A card Donna didn't have until now."

"Why the hell not?" Helen demanded to know.

"She wasn't deemed essential," Josh said, lifting Donna's hand to his lips and kissing it. Donna smiled softly at him.

"And now?"

"As my wife she has the right to have her own place in the Bunker."

"But she was in the Bunker yesterday," Helen said confused.

"Well, that was me. I asked Ron who else was in the building, when he said Donna and Ainsley I told him to get them to the Bunker."

"There was no one else in the White House?" Helen asked astonished.

"There were others, those were escorted out of the building by the Secret Service," Matt said.

"Oh, I see."

"Except Ronna, sir," Josh said.

"Yeah, I know, she already fessed up," Matt said. "She also said that you threatened her."

"With what?" Donna asked, casting a wary look at Josh.

"I told her I was gonna fire her if she wouldn't leave the building," Josh said.

"She has to learn to be impervious," Donna said, eliciting a laugh from Helen, a frown from Matt and an exasperated sigh from Josh.

"I'm missing something here, right?" Matt asked.

"It's a long story, sir," Donna told him.

"It's not that long," Helen said. "Back in the days, Josh fired her occasionally and she said she was impervious."

"Occasionally?" Matt asked Josh.

"Well, she was impervious so I had the chance to fire her every once in a while, sir," Josh said with a smirk.

"Why?"

"It usually happened on Mondays, sir. Or before a crucial vote. When he reached a peak of his usual Josh-ness," Donna explained. "It was never a serious thing. He couldn't have found a single file without me."

"That's right," Josh said, looking at Donna lovingly. "Not that I told her that, not even occasionally."

"Tell me again why you fell in love with him," Helen said with a wink at Donna.

"He is Josh," Donna explained simply, making Helen smile. Josh lifted her hand to his mouth once again and that's when they arrived at the hospital.

They met Annabeth and the Secretary of State in front of Sam's room. Sam was granted two Secret Service agents during his stay in the hospital so when they arrived they just knocked on his door.

"Yes?" came a tentative voice. Ainsley's.

"It's just us, Ainsley," the President said, letting Helen, Donna and Annabeth walk in while he held the door.

"Mr. President," Ainsley clambered to her feet from a chair next to Sam's bed. Donna noticed that she took off her shoes and now was desperately trying to get hold of them without making a seeming effort.

"Is he awake?" the President asked, not noticing Ainsley's embarrassment.

"How could I sleep when there is so much noise?" Sam asked weakly, sporting the begging of a smile.

"Sam," Donna hurried to his bedside, leaned down and kissed him on the cheeks. Helen quickly followed suit, making Sam blush.

"They said one visitor at a time," he said, looking at Josh questioningly.

"What? Did you think they would say no the President of the United States?" Matt asked with a grin.

"No, sir," Sam said. "How are you, sir?" he asked then.

"I'm okay, Sam. How are you?" Matt asked back jovially.

"Well, okay, I guess. It hurts but not excruciatingly. Josh says that comes later when they cease to give me the wonder drugs," Sam said with a grin on his own.

"Yeah," Matt said, his face somber.

"And hospital food sucks," Sam said and then hastily added, "Sir."

"That's terrific!" The President boomed and looked at Annabeth who gave him a nod. "Yeah, we brought you food."

"Sir, you shouldn't have," Sam protested.

"Nonsense," Matt said. "Besides, it's Donna's fault. Before I embarked on my little adventure she told me not to say goodbye because I'd jinx it. She told me we all would dine together tonight. You see, I just can't go and let them say she is a liar," Matt said, looking over to Donna who hid her head in Josh's chest. "And we have also something to celebrate."

"What, sir?" Sam asked.

"Josh finally wised up," Matt said, earning a grin from everyone but Josh.

"Donna, he is picking on me," he stage-whispered to his fiancé.

"And what am I supposed to do about it, Josh?" Donna asked him with an arched eyebrow.

"You really should practice the supportive wife role," Josh said, making everybody laugh.

"I'm not your wife yet, Josh. Besides, I can't do anything about it."

"Why the hell not?" Josh asked taken aback.

"It's really simple, Josh," Donna said with a grin.

"Yeah-yeah, I know, he is the President of the United States," Josh said in an exasperated tone. "For which I'm forever grateful. No offense, sir," he added then, looking at Arnie Vinick.

"None taken, Josh," Arnie Vinick said with a wink. "And next time we go to Vienna we will buy that chocolate powder for Donna."

**The End**

_Feedback is still appreciated. Tell me what you thought about this little fic of mine. _


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